Lane County’s 15 solid waste transfer stations, including the Glenwood location, begin operating on winter schedules on Saturday, October 1st (from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The Vida site will be open Wednesday through Saturday. The McKenzie Bridge will only be open on Saturdays.

LEABURG: On September 28, 2016 at about 3:20AM, OSP Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a single vehicle crash into a power pole on Highway 126E near milepost 19 (west of Leaburg).
Preliminary investigation revealed a 1992 Toyota pickup was traveling westbound on Highway 126E when it drifted off the roadway and rolled in the westbound ditch.

MCKENZIE BRIDGE: After starting out in Newport, Oregon, on September 14th, the First Electric Skateboard Crossing of America headed up the Old McKenzie Pass last Friday. During the “Big Climb,” Jack Smith went from 1,700 to 5,200 feet in elevation over an 18-mile stretch.
Smith’s journey is designed to draw attention to, and raise funds for Board Rescue, a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing skateboards and safety equipment to organizations that work with underprivileged, at-risk and special needs children. It is sponsored by Evolve Skateboards, the leading manufacturer of electric skateboards in the U.S.
Over the McKenzie area stretch, Smith said the boards, “Performed great, ascending and descending.” On flatter ground he reports traveling as far as 27 miles on a single charge. For more information on the charity, go to: boardrescue.org

Trail crews on the McKenzie River Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest have completed a five-year project to improve the O’Leary Loop into a world class mountain biking trail. Already a “hidden gem” for both hiking and mountain biking, the enhanced trail is a 22-mile, single-track loop with an intense backcountry feel. Local partners and the McKenzie River Ranger District hope that increasing the mountain biking opportunities in the area will encourage visitors to stay and explore the area for multiple days.

The project started in 2011 when the Recreation and Trails sub-committee of the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce identified a need for additional bike trails to better serve the mountain biking community. The McKenzie River Trail, which draws visitors locally, nationally and internationally, was the only substantial opportunity for mountain biking in the area. The Disciples of Dirt, a mountain bike advocacy group, worked with the Willamette National Forest to identify the O’Leary Loop, which had been infrequently used for hiking or biking, as an opportunity to expand mountain biking opportunities.

Editor's note: On 9/21/16 The McKenzie School board voted unanimously to approve creation of a charter school. This report covers a community meeting prior to that vote:

FINN ROCK: “We are McKenzie so we study the McKenzie as a textbook, as a source of knowledge.” That sentiment from Science teacher Nate Day was part the rationale supporters of a proposed charter school presented at a meeting last Wednesday. He went on to note that charter schools have a “place based” emphasis that is, “Not all about sitting down in a classroom. With all the natural resources we have - from waterfalls, Clear Lake, mountains and the amazing river - every single classroom can have a direct connection to the world.”
For Corey Culp, the charter school concept wasn’t appealing when he first heard about it. “As a teacher I had to think about how would I start implement it and how would I have to start changing my classroom to make it fit,” he wondered.

MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The location of a bowl where spring-fed waters form a crystal clear pond is no longer privy to just locals. In recent years increasing numbers of hikers, bikers and cliff jumpers have all been going to the Blue Pool on the McKenzie River National Scenic Trail. Their numbers, and the impacts of their visits, have become issues for the McKenzie River Ranger District, which manages the site.
District Ranger Terry Baker said about five years ago those numbers ran a range of about 20 to 30 per day. In the last two to three years another zero could be added at times, like one recent weekend when a Forest Service video recording showed 200 cars crammed into the parking lot at the Trail Bridge Reservoir.
Baker credits a variety of online social media outlets, websites and news articles for contributing to Blue Pool’s popularity. “It just becomes more and more of an attraction,” Baker said, “so we have increased visitation.”